Not much mention...

jtdesigns

jtdesigns

Joined
May 2, 2011
Messages
181
Hey folks,

As a new (and hopefully upcoming:) ) knifemaker, I have been ordering materials from Jantz Supply. Is there something I am unaware of (pricing, service, etc) because almost everyone but me orders from other sources (ie. blade steel--Aldo, abrasives--TruGrit, etc.)? I guess I haven't done a complete price comparison but when you add shipping from multiple vendors, it would seem that one vendor makes sense. Just a question, cause if there is something I haven't clued in on, I'm all about getting the best bang for the buck.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
Aldo has some of the best customer service around, and good steel as well. He has a large selection and sizing that other places sometimes don't offer or charge extra for. I can't speak for Truegrit yet.
 
I started out ordering from Jantz and TKS when i first started just re-handling pre-made blanks 4 years ago and always got good service from both. In a perfect world, one vendor makes sense.. one box, one shipping fee. In reality, it doesn't always works that way, at least for me. One supplier may carry every possible color of G-10 you could want, but maybe they don't carry the type of steel you need. The abrasive companies seem to have a better selection of belts than the "knifemaker supply" websites but those websites usually have what i need anyway. I've only ordered steel from Aldo one time, but I will be ordering again, soon. If Jantz carries everything you need, then you're lucky.
 
Most of the makers who use a lot of material get it directly from a supplier, like Aldo (steel) , Tru-grit, or Klingspor (belts), or Burl Source ( wood). Knife Suppliers (Jantz,Alpha, Knifekits, K&G, USA Knifemakers, etc) buy from guys like these and re-sell the goods to you. Some things are easier to get from these knife suppliers, like Corby bolts, pins, specialty steels, and folder supplies, so we all order from them.
 
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rwn2000 said:
In a perfect world, one vendor makes sense.. one box, one shipping fee.
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Yup, on the surface that sounds great. However, I may be the only one who's experienced this, or just the only one willing to say so in public... I've had terrible experiences with the well-known knife-supply retailers who try to supply everything and run their operation like Walmart or CostCo. I used to stick up for one of them in particular, but frankly I think they got too big for their britches and their service has taken a nosedive, while their prices have gone up up up.

Specifically, I'm talking about an inability to get someone on the phone who knows what the heck they're talking about, the wrong stuff being shipped, products listed on the site not being available or priced wrong, and a general attitude of "You need us, we don't need you". There's nothing quite like the feeling of ordering a bunch of 440C, grinding it, having it HT'ed and shipped back --- only to find it's not 440C at all, and in fact has been a complete waste of a great deal of money and time. Not to mention calling the vendor and being told, basically, go screw yourself.

I deal mostly with people who know me on a first-name basis, and we discuss knife-related stuff whether I'm placing an order or not. Their names are Chuck, Aldo and Brad.
 
james terrio said:
Yup, on the surface that sounds great. However, I may be the only one who's experienced this, or just the only one willing to say so in public... I've had terrible experiences with the well-known knife-supply retailers who try to supply everything and run their operation like Walmart or CostCo. I used to stick up for one of them in particular, but frankly I think they got too big for their britches and their service has taken a nosedive, while their prices have gone up up up.

Specifically, I'm talking about an inability to get someone on the phone who knows what the heck they're talking about, the wrong stuff being shipped, products listed on the site not being available or priced wrong, and a general attitude of "You need us, we don't need you". There's nothing quite like the feeling of ordering a bunch of 440C, grinding it, having it HT'ed and shipped back --- only to find it's not 440C at all, and in fact has been a complete waste of a great deal of money and time. Not to mention calling the vendor and being told, basically, go screw yourself.

I deal mostly with people who know me on a first-name basis, and we discuss knife-related stuff whether I'm placing an order or not. Their names are Chuck, Aldo and Brad.
Click to expand...

I agree with James. I vote with my pocket book. As I have started to collect more equipment and materials I find that I have specific wants and needs. Aldo is awesome and fun to talk to and I prefer to give my business to him for steel when I need it. As for the other providers I go with who is knowledgeable and who has been suggested by my other knife maker friends.
 
james terrio said:
I deal mostly with people who know me on a first-name basis, and we discuss knife-related stuff whether I'm placing an order or not. Their names are Chuck, Aldo and Brad.
Click to expand...

I don' think they know me by name, but those 3 get 99% of my orders too. :)

randy
 
My biggest complaint with Jantz in particular is the fact that they charge the same shiping rate whether I order ONE single screw or 100....
Places like USAKnifeMaker.com, however, will charge based on size and weight, and whether or not they can put it in a flat rate box.

Besides that, I've ordered a few pieces of G10 and other handle materials from Jantz in the past that I simply was not impressed with. Not that Jantz made the G10 or diamondwood or what have you, but I've had better luck with materials from other suppliers.

Now that all being said, Jantz still carries certain things at better prices they most competitors I've seen (corby rivets for instance) and carry a couple other items that I've needed and could not find elsewhere. Because of that, and the fact that they have decent customer service (though somewhat slow shipping at times), they will continue to get my business as needed.

If I had to order my top 3 suppliers from best to good, in my experience, it'd be as follows:

USAKnifeMaker
Alpha Knife Supply
Jantz

Aldo is in a class all by himself, and now gets just about all of my steel orders.

YMMV.
 
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